The cool, dark of the basement welcomed me, Charlotte stepping out beside me into our plane. I immediately felt Gram's touch, knew she was home, felt her summon me to the kitchen.Only problem? I was aware before I finished the climb to the top of the stairs her trip with Varity didn't go as planned.Surprising how the first rays of daylight shone in the kitchen window. How easy it was to forget time moved differently both in the Sidhe realm and on Demonicon. I'd lost the entire night to my travels. Odd, I didn't feel tired, not even a little. Knowing there would likely be slim opportunity for sleep in the next day or so, I figured my unusual wakefulness was a good thing.Gram thudded the lid of the waffle maker so hard the thing bounced. Varity sat, cross-legged and clearly irritated, from the way her magic vibrated at an erratic frequency. She slumped in her seat at the kitchen table while Shenka met my eyes with a little shake of her head. Her magic set out plates and cutlery as
Well, that was productive.I stood with Gram and Varity in one corner of the Yard, arms crossed, back against a tree as the pair glared at each other. I could tell from the way their faces twitched they were talking among themselves but didn't have the energy to break into the conversation.When Gram finally spoke out loud, I jumped."No," she snarled, clearly continuing where her mental voice left off, "I wasn't aware at the time the Council power had that much influence. Do you think I would have just let Miriam fall into this bottomless pit without support if I'd known?" She blew a gust of air from between her pursed lips. "It wasn't until Miriam attacked Syd I realized just how far this had gone."Varity's shoulders slumped, hands clenched into a knot in front of her chest. "I've witnessed such influence," she said. "But never on such a level." Her eyes settled on me. "Nor have I seen a Council Leader fight so hard against her own magic."To protect me. I knew that already. Gr
I monitored the location of the Enforcers for the rest of the day, keeping a close eye on them just in case. Anything to gather ammunition against Mom so I could have them removed completely."Just go to the Council," Shenka said as I paced the kitchen while she fixed lunch. "They have to listen when their own laws are being broken.""Except they aren't now," Sassafras said. "And with them outside the border, we can work around them while Miriam feels secure Syd is being watched. It's a win-win."I wished I agreed with him, though, from the sharpness of his tone, I knew he wasn't as happy about the situation as he made out. Still, eggs and omelets-and I'd broken enough eggs in my lifetime I was sick of them for breakfast.It wasn't until night darkened the sky again, while I struggled with worry for the Sidhe and my own denial of what I had to do to make things right for them, that I felt the Enforcers stir. The moment I reached out to see what happened to trigger their attention,
I stared at the dark canopy over my bed while my mind twisted and turned in so many directions I didn't think I'd ever put the jigsaw puzzle of my thoughts back together.Trill and I went to the Sidhe Gate cavern after dinner to see Liam. She was able to pass through the wards at my side, Charlotte grumbling on my other, but when it came to the Gate, it was as Trill feared. While she could pass through, her power practically vanished as we stepped across the barrier and into the realm"I can't function here," she said, turning to run one hand over the bubble between worlds, Liam watching from the other side. "And I doubt my brothers could, either. We simply don't have the right kind of power." Her eyes met mine, her face tiny and elfish on this side, reminding me more of a pixie than Sidhe. "And there's no way of knowing what kind of impact we would have. Possibly negative." She shuddered, hugging herself as a breeze rippled over us from the storm, a crack of lightning and a rumble o
My body thudded hard against the floor as I pushed sideways, pajama bottoms slipping over the sheets. Alison's ghostly form impacted the wall behind my pillow before she spun with a snarl, diving for me.Fear spiked, adrenaline gushing rivers through my system as I shoved myself back, bare feet scrabbling against the carpet as my vampire roared in fury and threw herself into control of my body.Everything turned white, glowing, as the essence of the undead extended my hands, a solid shield of spirit energy forming between me and the descending echo. Alison struck it with a cry of pain, bouncing back to hover, crouched on the edge of my bed like a cat waiting to pounce while I scrambled to my feet, vampire spirit magic still firmly between us.She bared her teeth again, snarling, and I understood."You were going to feed on me." I breathed the truth into the cold air, my room chilled by her presence and by the weight of the spirit magic my vampire used to hold her back."How do you
The kitchen filled with the aroma of pancakes, soft talk in the late night/very early morning, the sky nowhere close to hinting at dawn. Gram wielded her favorite spatula like a weapon as Charlotte hovered by the door, staring out into the dark. Shenka squeezed my shoulder as she went about her usual business and I realized then, we'd made ourselves an oddly organized and predictable family. With a routine. I felt like the 50s dad who sat around while life went on without him, waiting to be served.Charlotte's low growl and subsequent reach for the door made me tense, only to relax as she pulled it open to reveal a yawning Trill."Felt a disturbance in the house," she said. "I take it something happened?"She listened quietly, helping herself to pancakes as I told her about Alison. I sighed. One more thing to worry about, one more loose thread I let fall and fray because I forgot or was distracted by other things."You need to let Demetrius take care of that echo." Gram slammed my
I retreated from the table, leaving them to talk, needing to escape, to spend some time alone. Especially after Trill's little reveal about me.A one-woman army. One maji?Whatever.As I settled cross-legged in the center of the pentagram, hoping the family magic would keep me safe if Alison made a comeback, a familiar furry form rubbed against me. Sassafras climbed into the hollow my legs made. I stroked his silver body, hearing his purr begin, but softly, without the push of magic behind it.We reached for the veil together, as though we thought of it at the same moment, tearing open the way between planes until my sister's magic reached back. Meira sat at a desk, watching us through the veil between worlds, large window behind her showing the multiple suns of Demonicon glowing, a frown of worry on her face."Are you all right?" She stood, approached the gash between planes. "Should I come through?"The touch of Ahbi's spirit flowed around me before retreating back to the edge
Sassafras wouldn't let me go off with Demetrius alone, scampering away to raise the alarm even as I hissed at him to come back. Within moments, Gram and Charlotte hovered next to me while Demetrius did a little hopping dance of frustration over the delay."Shenka." I met her eyes, saw her bend to scoop up Sassafras whose big amber eyes blinked slowly at me once.I didn't have to say anything else."We'll hold the fort," she said. "And protect the family. No matter what."Sassy's tail thrashed in agreement."Keep an eye on the Enforcers," I said. "They might try to push you. Don't let them."She grinned, a nasty expression as Sassafras hummed a growl in the back of his throat. "Might be fun," she said. Trill giggled behind her hand before sobering."We'll distract them, if necessary." Her dark eyes glittered in the light of the single bulb illuminating the basement. "My brothers and I have had experience with evasion in the past." I just bet. "Good luck."I could only imagine wh